By Susan Granger
Special to WestportNow
Fearless Charlize Theron is a chameleon. Donning a fat suit and unflattering makeup, she won an Oscar as the serial killer in “Monster,” she was totally convincing as the warrior Furiosa in “Mad Max: Fury Road,” and she kicked serious butt in “Atomic Blonde.”
For “Tully,” she’s piled on nearly 50 pounds to play Marlo, a bleary, seriously stressed-out, suburban New Jersey mother who, much to the amazement of her uncomprehending husband, Drew (Ron Livingston), hesitantly accepts her wealthy brother Craig’s (Mark Duplass) gift of a “night nanny” after she gives birth to her third child.
That’s a home health care aide who comes in after dark and stays all night, quietly bringing the newborn into the bedroom for breast-feeding, allowing its mother to get some much-needed sleep.
“They’re like ninjas,” Craig explains. “They sneak in and out. You barely know they’re there.”
But when svelte, 26 year-old Tully (Mackenzie Davis), appears on their doorstep, Marlo — having seen far too many “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle”-inspired thrillers — is, at first, reluctant, to turn over care of baby Mia. But she’s completely exhausted, overworked and overwhelmed.
Gradually, Marlo warms up to earthy Tully, who insists on caring not only for Mia but also for Marlo, who has her hands full with challenging, eight-year-old Sarah (Lia Frankland) and ‘quirky’ kindergartner, Jonah (Asher Miles Fallica), whose behavior places him somewhere on the autism spectrum.
Definite progress is being made until, one fateful night, the empathy that ostensibly connected the two women is sorely tested. To say more would ruin the plot’s unexpected postpartum twists and turns.
Adroitly written by Diablo Cody and uncompromisingly directed by Jason Reitman, who collaborated previously with Charlize Theron on “Young Adult,” it wobbles on a very thin line of credibility … and it’s certainly not your typical Mother’s Day movie.
Nevertheless, on the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Tully” totals a 7, even if — when you think about it later — it doesn’t add up.
Question: Why remake the Goldie Hawn/Kurt Russell screwball comedy “Overboard?”
Answer: Hollywood’s push for diversity now focuses on Latin American superstar Eugenio Derbez.
In the original, Hawn played a snobbish, spoiled heiress who hires carpenter/widower Russell to remodel a closet on her yacht. Then she rudely refuses to pay his bill. Later that night, when she falls overboard and develops amnesia, Russell claims she’s his wife, the mother of his four boys.
Now, in a gender flip, Derbez plays Leonardo Montenegro, a billionaire Mexican playboy whose uber-yacht, called “Birthday Present,” is docked in coastal Elk Cove, Oregon. When Kate Sullivan (Anna Faris), a single mom, working several jobs while studying for nursing degree, is dispatched to steam-clean his carpet, there’s an unpleasant confrontation.
Then when Leonardo falls overboard, hits his head and develops amnesia, Kate’s boss (Eva Longoria) encourages Kate to get revenge by pretending he’s her husband/father of her three daughters.
Which is not difficult since Leonardo’s greedy sister Magdalena (Cecilia Suarez), hoping to gain control of the family business, concocts a story that her brother was devoured by sharks.
The ploy works. Kate brings Leonardo home to help around the house and work as a day laborer in construction. Oddly enough, when he’s forced to behave like an ordinary man, Leonardo evolves emotionally and connects with Kate’s kids.
Adapted by Bob Fisher and director Rob Greenberg from Leslie Dixon’s original screenplay, about a third of the dialogue is in Spanish with Hispanic pop culture references, significant for Latino audiences.
Unfortunately, unlike Russell and Hawn who were obviously in love back in 1987, there’s no chemistry between Derbez and Faris.
FYI: Gender-swapping is becoming increasingly popular. This summer’s femme-centric “Oceans 8” stars Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter & Rihanna, while “The Hustle” finds Anne Hathaway & Robel Wilson replacing con artists Steve Martin & Michael Caine.
On the Granger Gauge, “Overboard” is an insipid 4, as a tasteless mid-credit sequence leaves viewers over-bored.
I suspect most people are interested in the psychological thriller “Bad Samaritan” because it stars Scottish actor David Tennant, best known as a former “Doctor Who.”
Tennant plays mega-wealthy, psychopathic Cale Erendreich who gets his jollies by kidnapping and torturing women. In a flashback sequence, viewers witness a childhood trauma with a wild horse which, supposedly, serves to explain his sadistic fetish for bridles and bondage.
In the meantime, struggling Irish photographer Sean Falco (Robert Sheehan) and his partner, Derek Sandoval (Carlito Olivero), work as valet parkers at a Portland, Oregon, restaurant. That’s their ‘cover.’ Actually, they’re small-time burglars.
When an affluent customer arrives for dinner, one keeps an eye on the patron while the other uses the GPS to find the owner’s home and rob it of small-but-valuable items that they can quickly resell, returning the car to the restaurant as its unsuspecting owner pays his check. It’s a slick scam.
Complications arise when Cale leaves his ostentatious Maserati in their hands. While exploring his minimalist mansion, Sean finds Katie (Kerry Condon), a chained captive who has been gagged and beaten. Although he promises to return to rescue her, that’s easier said than done.
When Sean calls the police and FBI with an anonymous tip, they arrive and find nothing. But spiteful, serial killer Cale, thanks to his high-tech surveillance equipment, is onto Sean. Part of his revenge involves downloading and texting a seminude photo of Sean’s girlfriend (Jacqueline Byers), which causes her to dump him.
Working from a screenplay by Brandon Boyce (“Apt Pupil”), which presents an intriguing set-up but not much of a story, director Dean Devlin’s (“Geostorm”) lack of coherency disappoints. Like — why should we care about Sean’s romantic entanglements when Katie’s life is in jeopardy?
On the Granger Gauge, “Bad Samaritan” is a suspenseful, shallow 3, veering into torture porn territory.
(Editor’s Note: Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has been on radio/television as an anchorwoman and movie/drama critic for many years. See her reviews at www.susangranger.com.)
